Drunken Brawl

An excerpt from The Daedalus Enigma

After three more servings of ale, Grimm headed for the back alley to relieve his bladder. A slight brush of shoes against the dirt of the alley gave him just enough warning. He turned and pissed in the face of one of the thugs from earlier.

This had the effect of flustering the man and causing his companions to burst into laughter.

“Di’n’ see ’at comin’ did ’e, John?” one of the men said with a chortle.

Grimm took advantage of the momentary distraction to tuck himself back into his pants.

John sputtered and spit as he wiped at his face. He turned dark red and yelled, “Don’t just stand there, y’ buggers! Get ’im!”

“That’s enough out of you.” Grimm hit him under the chin. Teeth clicked together hard. A chunk of the man’s tongue hit the ground with a wet plop. The unconscious man soon followed.

Silence reigned. The five remaining thugs blocked the exit from the alley. Their faces showed varying degrees of shock or drunken anger. Grimm returned their stares with one of calm waiting. He kept his stance loose.

They mistook his readiness for realization he was outnumbered. Cudgels and knives made their appearance, and the men advanced on him.

He gave them a smile to match his name. It almost seemed a pity how outmatched they were.

“If that’s how you want it, I hope you’re prepared to pay the price.”

“Only one going to pay anything is you, old man.”

“Old? Oh, now I really have to make it interesting.” He let them get close enough for the first two to swing at him. He easily dodged.

They didn’t prove as agile. He caught one in the ribs and another in the stomach. He pulled his punches. He didn’t want to kill them. Ever since Zeke shared power with him, his strength rivaled that of the vampire he called Captain.

The next two got closer, but remained a little more cautious. They tried to circle him. He did his best to keep them in front of him. The two he’d punched recovered and rejoined the fight.

For a couple of minutes, they took turns darting in to swing at him and dodging his blows in return. It gave him a good read on them, but not good enough. One managed to slice his arm.

The slice was shallow, but it stung enough to make him change his mind about sparing them.

“I liked this shirt.”

He used his enhanced speed to step in and kick the man directly in front of him in the nuts. He used enough force to crack the man’s pelvis.

Grimm grabbed the arm of another man, turned his knife hand toward a third, and forced the blade into the man’s chest. He broke the knife man’s arm and dislocated his shoulder, as well. He shoved him at the last two men standing.

They instinctively jumped back. Before they knew what was happening, a hand landed on the outer side of each of their heads and slammed them together with a loud crack. Both men collapsed to the ground in convulsions.

“Play time is over, lads. Come on, Hezekiah. It’s time we were on our way,” Viktor declared.

Grimm stepped over the bodies of his assailants and joined his captain. “You were standing there long enough, Vik.”

Viktor laughed and clapped him on the back. “You seemed to have things under control. Shame about the shirt, though.”